Vaporesso Vibe SE or Vibe SE 2, what really changes

The Vaporesso Vibe SE now has a successor, the Vibe SE 2, and the two look so alike that they are easy to mix up on a shelf. Same two-position slider, same Dual Mesh pod, same three-colour LED. Yet the battery, the filling method and the wattage of each mode have all changed, and the maker’s own documents do not always agree with each other. That makes the choice harder, and so does looking after the pods afterwards.

From the Vaporesso Vibe SE to the Vibe SE 2, four changes

Four things change and the rest stays put. The battery grows from 1100 to 1400 mAh. Filling used to happen through the side of the pod, which had to come out, and now happens from the top, with the pod left in place. Both modes run a little harder on the SE 2, up to 28 W instead of 24 W with the pod supplied in the TPD kit, the 2 ml version that meets UK rules. The body, for its part, gains a few millimetres and a few grams.

What stays the same takes few words. Both fire when you draw, charge through USB-C at 1 A, hold 2 ml in the version sold in the UK, and use a slider that sets power and airflow in a single move. A Vibe SE owner has no pressing technical reason to switch, apart from the battery and the easier top filling.

The Vibe SE and Vibe SE 2 on Vaporesso’s figures

The values below come from the maker’s product pages. The Vibe SE 2 comes in two finishes, plated and leather, with slightly different dimensions.

Feature	Vibe SE	Vibe SE 2
Dimensions	115.9 × 26.6 × 17.6 mm	120.8 × 26.6 × 17.6 mm (plated), 121.1 × 27.1 × 18.1 mm (leather)
Weight	50 g	52.7 g (plated), 53.2 g (leather)
Battery	1100 mAh	1400 mAh
Charging	USB-C, 5 V and 1 A	USB-C, 1 A
Pod	4.5 ml, 2 ml in the TPD version	4.5 ml, 2 ml in the TPD version
Filling	from the side, pod removed	from the top, pod left in
0.6/0.8 ohm pod	ECO 14 W, PWR 24 W	ECO 15 W, PWR 28 W
0.7/1.0 ohm pod	ECO 12 W, PWR 20 W	ECO 13 W, PWR 22 W
Battery LED	green 70 to 100%, blue 30 to 70%, red 0 to 30%	green 60 to 100%, blue 10 to 60%, red 0 to 10%
Safety cut-off	8 seconds	8 seconds

A word of caution on the sources. The SE 2 PDF manual still carries several values from the first model, 1100 mAh and side filling, and the spec block on the official store shows the SE’s dimensions and weight. We went with the technical section of the SE 2 product page, the only one that describes the new model consistently.

The two modes of the Vaporesso Vibe SE, one pod with two values

The slider does more than pick a power level. It moves the pod from one resistance value to the other, and opens or closes the airflow at the same time.

How the Dual Mesh pod works

Every Vibe pod carries two values, 0.6 and 0.8 ohm, or 0.7 and 1.0 ohm. In ECO mode, the device uses the higher value, and in PWR mode the lower one. Each position has a fixed wattage published by Vaporesso, and there is no watt-by-watt setting at all.

ECO and PWR according to the maker

The manual sums up each position in one line. PWR gives bigger clouds with a looser draw, ECO a tighter draw and a battery that runs down more slowly. Vaporesso also links ECO mode to a longer-lasting pod, based on its own lab tests.

Why the same pod runs hotter on the SE 2

The 0.6/0.8 ohm pod gets 15 W in ECO and 28 W in PWR on the SE 2, against 14 W and 24 W on the SE. So PWR gains 4 W and ECO 1 W, on an identical pod. Anyone who already found PWR generous on the SE may prefer ECO on the SE 2.

Looking after Vaporesso Vibe SE pods

The coil is built into the Dual Mesh pod, which Vaporesso sells in pairs. Care therefore comes down to filling it properly, keeping the contacts clean and protecting it from pressure changes.

The first fill

Start by peeling the sticker off a new pod. On the Vibe SE, pull the pod out of the battery, gently lift the silicone plug on its side, fill through the hole and press the plug firmly back. The SE 2 fills from the top without taking the pod out. Either way, wait five minutes after the first fill so the coils can soak.

Clean contacts

The pins that link the battery to the pod need to stay clean, the manual points out, for the device to work at its best. A dry cotton bud or a paper tissue is enough to remove the condensation that settles there. A pod that is not detected properly shows up as flashing on the LED and no heat.

On a plane or at altitude

For air travel or sharp changes in pressure, Vaporesso recommends storing the pod apart from the battery and not filling it, to limit leaks. The manual also sets a storage range of minus 10 °C to 45 °C.

Vibe SE against Vibe SE 2 in a pocket

The pocket comparator on our home page gives 54.3 cm³ for the Vibe SE, 56.6 cm³ for the plated SE 2 and 59.4 cm³ for the leather one. Next to the plated SE 2, the Vibe SE takes 4.1% less room and weighs 2.7 g less. Next to the leather version, the gap rises to 8.7% and 3.2 g.

By the comparator’s reckoning, which judges size and weight only, the original Vibe SE is the more discreet of the two. Both stay slim next to a big-battery pod. The OXVA VPrime, a 60 W pod, takes up 93.5 cm³, and the Vibe SE takes 42.0% less room than it does.

FAQ

Five practical questions, answered from Vaporesso’s documentation.

Do XROS pods fit the Vibe SE 2?

No. The official store states that the SE 2 uses Vibe series Dual Mesh pods, not XROS pods, ECO Nano pods or GTX coils.

What does a flashing red LED mean?

Five red flashes signal a resistance that is too low or a short circuit, four a temperature that is too high and three a battery that is too flat. On the SE 2, five red flashes can also mean a missing or badly seated pod. In every case, the device stops heating.

How long does the LED stay on after charging?

On the Vibe SE, it stays green once the battery is full and goes out after 10 minutes. On the SE 2, it shows red while charging, turns green at the end and goes out after 25 minutes.

Why does my pod show a different value from a foreign listing?

Because the kit contents vary by version. The global kit comes with a 0.8 ohm pod, the US kit of the SE with a 1.0 ohm pod, and the EU and TPD kits with a 0.6/0.8 ohm pod.

How long can one draw last?

Eight seconds at most. Beyond that, the device cuts the heat. The SE’s LED then flashes green, blue and red, while the SE 2’s flashes three times in the colour of the current battery level.

Vaporesso Vibe SE or SE 2, the right pick for your pocket

The SE 2 is not a revolution but an honest update, with more battery, top filling and slightly stronger modes, in exchange for a few millimetres and a few grams. The original model remains the more compact of the two, and its Dual Mesh pods are looked after in exactly the same way.

Before buying, check the pod in the kit, a 0.6/0.8 ohm in the TPD version. And if you already own a Vaporesso Vibe SE, the best way to keep it going is to look after its pods and its contacts.

In the same pocket

Perle Glacée writes for adult readers only. Vaping products usually contain nicotine, which is addictive, and nicotine vaping products cannot be sold to anyone under 18 in the UK. This feature describes devices and is not a buying recommendation.